Big Ideas Are Cheap. Execution Is Your Alpha.

If you want to stand out in today’s world, here’s the one thing you need to do: think of a big idea and see it through. Sounds simple, right? But it’s surprisingly rare. Even if you only manage to pull off 70% of what you imagined, you’ll still be miles ahead of most people. Why? Because most people are comfortable just being “idea people.” They talk about grand strategies, throw around ambitious concepts, and then… nothing. The conversation stops there. It’s easy to think, “Well, I’ve done my part,” when all you’ve really done is talk.

And I get it. I’ve been guilty of this too. If, like me, you’ve ever been slotted into the Very Bright Young Person™️ category, you’ve been here. You’re rewarded for sounding smart, so when you actually start building your career, you think that will help you coast through—just like it did when you aced your assignments or dazzled in extracurriculars. You get so used to being patted on the head for being a “smart cookie” that you forget one fundamental truth: words don’t mean anything. Results do.

This was a hard lesson for me. It took me messing up—many times—to understand the difference between having a sharp mind and delivering results. And trust me, the gap between those two is bigger than we’d like to admit. I look back at my earlier jobs, at the moments when my managers tried to show me the difference, and I didn’t get it. I was all about ideas, not about making them happen. To those mentors and managers, I owe an apology. You tried to help me understand, and I didn’t. I thought the smartest words would win the game. They don’t. The results do.

Look at Bozoma Saint John, for example. She didn’t become one of the most influential marketing executives in the world by just talking about bold ideas. At Uber, at Apple, at Netflix—she took those ideas, infused them with her unique energy, and executed. She didn’t sit back and wait for the world to move around her. She moved it. That’s how you disrupt industries. That’s how you create lasting change.

Or take the founders of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk. They didn’t just come up with a quirky idea about renting out air mattresses. They built the entire infrastructure to turn a once-fringe concept into a global behemoth that completely redefined travel. The pivoting, the persistence, the grit it took to get there—that’s what made Airbnb what it is today. It wasn’t just a brilliant idea on its own; it was their relentless execution that made it stick.

Then there’s Harry Stebbings, the founder of The Twenty Minute VC. He started out recording podcasts in his bedroom at 18, with nothing but an idea and a ton of curiosity about venture capital. Now, he’s one of the most influential voices in the VC space and an investor in his own right. His success didn’t come from just thinking about venture capital or talking about it—he put in the work. He built something real, and over time, he became the authority he once looked up to.

That’s the alpha. The people who rise to the top in any field are the ones who ask, “Okay, this idea sounds great, but how are we actually going to make it happen?” And then they follow through. They do the hard, often boring work of execution. They don’t stop when things get difficult or when the shiny excitement of the idea wears off. They stay the course, tackle the next step, and the next.

So, How Do You Think Action-First?

1. Break It Down: Start by breaking your big idea into smaller, actionable steps. Don’t focus on the end goal just yet. Think, “What’s the next thing I can do to move this forward?” This could be as simple as scheduling a meeting, drafting an outline, or setting up a basic prototype. Execution starts with the smallest steps, not grand gestures.

2. Set a Deadline: Ideas often get stuck because they feel like something you’ll do “someday.” Make “someday” today. Set deadlines for the actions you need to take, even if they’re self-imposed. Give yourself accountability, whether that’s by creating a timeline or telling someone else about your plan so you feel pressure to follow through.

3. Prioritize Progress Over Perfection: One of the biggest killers of execution is the desire for everything to be perfect from the get-go. Spoiler: it won’t be. Focus on progress, even if it’s messy. The first draft will be terrible, the first prototype will break, but you’ll be miles ahead of the person who’s still perfecting their idea on paper.

4. Ask Better Questions: Whenever you’re in a room where ideas are being tossed around, practice the habit of asking better questions. It could be as simple as, “Okay, how are we going to make this happen?” or “What do we need to get started?” Asking the right questions shifts the conversation from abstract to practical, which is where execution begins.

5. Delegate and Collaborate: You don’t have to do everything yourself, but you do need to make sure things are getting done. Build a team or bring in collaborators who can help push things forward. Execution isn’t a solo sport. The best leaders know how to get their teams invested in making things happen.

6. Reflect on Results: After you’ve taken action, pause to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. This reflection will help you get better at execution over time. Ask yourself, “Did I reach my goal? If not, why? What’s the next step?” Execution is iterative. You’ll constantly be refining your process.

I didn’t get this for the longest time. But if you can master it now, if you can shift your mindset from “what can I think up?” to “what can I make happen?”—you’ll find yourself in a completely different league.

So, the next time you’re sitting in a meeting or brainstorming with your team, and you’re tempted to be the one throwing out the big, shiny ideas—stop for a moment. Ask yourself the tougher question: “How are we going to do this?” Then take it a step further: start figuring it out. That’s where you set yourself apart.

Execution isn’t glamorous, but it’s where the magic happens. It’s what separates the dreamers from the doers. And in a world full of people with ideas, be the one who makes things happen.